The eponymous name of the movie Ek Chatur Naar, has been derived from the song of the movie Padosan, however it has no further bearing than that on this movie storyline. This 2025 movie that is a duel of cleverness, vigilance and prudence has been released on Netflix.
It is about a cat and mouse game between the haves and the have nots the good and the evil, the slum dwellers vis-a-vis the rich and famous. Beginning with a high-end phone theft and culminating in a kidnap climax, it has a lot going for it in-between.
The story is simple yet has a lot of twists and turns, what with both sides trying to outdo each other. A legit conman Niel Nitin Mukesh who is a conduit through whom the state CM siphons off government funds, is conned, and who calls him out at his own game. It is the middle aged mom played with great chutzspah and spunk by Divya Khosla Kumar who while desperately trying to make ends meet is also dodging loan sharks and what have yous on the side.
In this era of short attention spans where you are hooked to reels on YouTube, the movie keeps you engaged not because of the plot but the way it has been presented, the story and screenplay flow effortlessly on screen with logical fluidity.
A special mention has to be made for all the actors who played their parts judiciously, especially the two main characters, Divya, who plays her role with aplomb. It appears that she has not forgotten the nuances of acting which she had left behind after marriage a long time ago and is now making a fresh comeback (only issue is that she doesn’t look like a slumdog but pulls it off).
Neil Nitin Mukesh who seems to be in the same form which he had last shown in Johnny Gaddar, perfect not loud. Other members of the cast played out their parts well. And make sure you do not miss the undisclosed truth about the aforesaid phone at the fag end.
Though the events leading up to the conflict between the lead characters is explained away in the climax seem very improbable, as a lot of cinematic liberty has been taken, still it is pie for the eye. There aren’t many songs or dances in this just over 2 hour movie jamboree. Running time of 131 minutes
– Review by PAWAN GUPTA
Cast of Ek Chatur Naar:
Divya Khosla Kumar as Mamta Mishra
Neil Nitin Mukesh as Abhishek Verma
Chhaya Kadam as Radha, Mamta’s mother in law
Sushant Singh as DCP Pratap Scindia
Rajneesh Duggal as Mamta’s Husband
Zakir Hussain as Qureshi
Rahul Mittra as politician Dindayal Thakur
Yashpal Sharma as Thakur
Heli Daruwala as Secretary Tina
Rose Sardana as Anjali
Geeta Agarwal Sharma as Urmila
Credits of Ek Chatur Naar:
Production company – Merry Go Round Studios
Directed by Umesh Shukla
Screenplay by Jay Master, Umesh Shukla, Deepak Nirman, Siddhaarth Goel
Story by Himanshu Tripathi
Produced by Umesh Shukla, Ashish Wagh, Shivv Sharma, Zeeshan Ahmad
Cinematography – Sameer Arya
Edited by Mayur Hardas
BGM Score: Amar Mohile
Songs: Vayu, Abhijeet Shrivastava, Sharan Rawat
